Fall of Houston Series | Book 5 | No Man's Land

by Payne, T. L.

  “How long do I have to train?” Stephens asked, abruptly changing the subject. She didn’t want anything to do with the love triangle she figured she’d just discovered.

  Seven

  Will

  Texarkana Refugee Center

  Texarkana, Texas

  Event + Nine Months

  Gabby took the news much better than Will and Savanah thought she would. Will watched her for signs that she was lying and secretly planning something. She sat erect in her chair with her hands in her lap and stared off toward the ball field where the younger kids were planning a game of soccer.

  “You don’t seem surprised, Gabby,” Savanah said, breaking the silence.

  “Troy told me already.”

  Will shook his head. Of course. Troy knew already. He was with an intelligence unit.

  “Did he discuss the plan to find Tank?”

  “No. He just said there was one and that the best team in the unit had been sent in. He recited that ‘no man left behind’ bullshit.”

  “He sounded confident?” Savanah asked.

  “Yeah. He drank the kool-aid,” Gabby said, a bitter bite to her tone. She had come to the shelter reluctantly and had exhibited a high degree of mistrust of the officials there. She’d refused to follow their rules and been penalized for it. Her house arrest had only made matters worse.

  “Troy wouldn’t lie, Gabby,” Savanah said, reaching out and touching her arm.

  Gabby stared down at Savanah’s hand. She looked up and met Savanah’s gaze. Will saw the tears in her eyes and his heart wrenched.

  “I know he believes all that “hoorah” bullshit the military’s been feeding him, but no one knows how powerful that general is up there in Illinois, or how extensive his network is. He’s had seven months to get established. Look what’s been going on here. They haven’t had all that.” She glanced at Will and then back to Savanah. “Did you know they have drones up there?”

  Will had heard about the drones. He’d hoped they were only rumors. Drones would make getting anywhere near the camps without being spotted nearly impossible.

  “Stephens said we have contact with satellites,” Isabella said.

  Will’s head snapped toward her. “What? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

  “She said they had satellite footage of troop movements in St. Louis.”

  “When did she say that?” Will asked.

  “Last week when she stopped by the stables. We were talking while you, Jason, and Walker were saddling your horses.”

  “And you didn’t tell me about this?”

  She shook her head. “I forgot. I got distracted when that horse ran you into the fence.”

  Will’s face flushed. Even though he’d ridden horses as a kid, training them to become cavalry horses was something altogether different. His new horse was especially obstinate, and he bore the scars to prove it.

  “If they have satellite surveillance, why do they need boots on the ground to tell them where the labor camps are?” Savanah asked.

  “I imagine from the air they look no different from any other buildings. The fences could be for safety.” He pointed to his right. “We have one.”

  The twelve-foot-high razor-wire-topped fence surrounding the refugee center was there to provide security and to control access. It would be a safe bet that Region Five, as it was called, would have something similar to protect people. It wasn’t likely they had control over everyone in their region. They would have escapees and others who could pose a threat.

  “We might be heading back to Little Rock early, but as soon as I hear anything about Tank, I’ll let you know,” Will said.

  “And I’ll do the same,” Gabby said.

  “How is Troy getting information to you?” Isabella asked.

  “I can’t say. I don’t want to take the chance of burning my source.”

  Gabby wasn’t the only skeptical resident of the camp. She’d found several like-minded individuals before she’d been placed on house arrest. Some were nothing more than conspiracy theorists spreading rumors that the shelter was an enemy reeducation camp disguised as an American refugee center.

  “We’ll stop back by before we ship out to Little Rock. I hope there’s good news before then, though,” Isabella said, as she rose to her feet.

  Will wasn’t sure that they’d hear anything. At least not anytime before they were called back to base. Stephens had made it sound like they’d be leaving soon. He and Isabella needed to get back and make sure their gear was squared away. He wanted to find Cayden and spend the day with him, just in case. The worse part about joining the military was that he wasn’t there for his son. He had to rely on Savanah and Gabby to look after Cayden, not that he needed much supervision. He was very mature for a thirteen-year-old. The shelter was the safest place in the country, as far as Will knew. But it still concerned him that he wasn’t able to protect Cayden himself.

  Will, Isabella, and Savanah met up with Jason on his way back to their place. He and Savanah were newlyweds as well, but with four children in the household, there hadn’t been a way to fit in a honeymoon. Will felt a pang of guilt. He should have offered to watch the kids—at least for one night. He’d been so concerned about getting quality time with Isabella and Cayden that it hadn’t even crossed his mind. He’d need to talk to Isabella about it first, but he intended to remedy that mistake.

  “We had a visit from Stephens a little while ago,” Will told Jason.

  “She’s back already?”

  “She said we should be prepared to be called back to Little Rock. Something’s come up.”

  Jason took Savanah’s hand. “It figures,” Savanah said.

  “Listen,” Isabella said. She looked at Will. “How about Will and I come over and stay with the kids while the two of you stay over at our place tonight.”

  “That would be great!” Jason blurted and then turned to Savanah. “I mean…”

  Savanah was blushing. “That would be nice. You sure you can handle them?”

  “You got duct tape, right?” Will laughed. Savanah’s brow knit. “I’m kidding. We’ll be fine. Cayden will love spending the night with his cousins and we’ve been wanting some quality time with them as well.”

  Jason couldn’t conceal his ear-to-ear grin. It was a big responsibility being a parent and Will respected Jason for stepping up to the role.

  The door opened and Walker filled the doorway. “Howdy, Will. Hello, Isabella. I was hoping to see you two before you shipped out again.”

  Isabella walked over and threw her arms around the former lawman. He still sported his Texas Ranger’s Western hat but had retired the white shirt and tie. Will wondered if he still had his gold star badge.

  “We may be heading back out in the morning. We’re waiting for word from Stephens.”

  “I know. I spoke with her shortly after she left your place.”

  Will’s eyes widened. “You did? Did she tell you about Tank and Pete?”

  “She did. She has full confidence in the team going in to extract them,” Walker said, stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Will wondered where his niece was. She always tried to put herself in the middle of adult conversations.

  “So what was the reason for Stephens’ visit to you?” Isabella asked.

  “She wants me to join her team. She’s put in a request to have me reassigned from the security team here.”

  “Would you have to go through the training we just completed?” Isabella asked.

  “I guess so.”

  “I didn’t know we had enough horses to add personnel to the unit. Anyway, it'll be nice to have you with us.”

  “It’ll be nice to be outside this fence and see what the rest of the countryside looks like,” Walker said.

  “I’m not sure what is going on, but I have the feeling we’re about to see more of the countryside than we’d like,” Will said.

  “Looks like nearly everyone is getting to join the party,” Savanah sai
d, putting her arm around Jason’s waist.

  “I know it’s hard to stay back here when we’re all out there. Soon we’ll get our home base moved out of the shelter. At least you and the others can get started on a garden and maybe get some meat put away for winter.”

  Savanah sighed. “That’s going to be hard with most of you away all the time.”

  “You still committed to living off-grid?” Isabella asked her.

  “For now. Having modern conveniences is nice, but they come at a high price. I just don’t know.”

  “They have to have all those rules to keep their communities safe. There just aren’t enough people to police the towns,” Jason said.

  “But not allowing us to have weapons to defend ourselves with is over the top,” Savanah replied.

  “You sure it’s worth it to you?” Isabella asked.

  “I lived without all this before the EMP. I chose to live off-grid and homeschool my children so I had some control over our lives and well-being. This…” She waved her hand toward the rows of refugee tents. “This is making me stir crazy.”

  An image of the compound where Corey had died flashed into his mind. There had been many heated discussions between Will and the members of their group who were adamant about not being relocated to Dallas or Houston. Isabella was so concerned that she’d spoken to Stephens about it. Somehow, she’d managed to wrangle an exemption for families of military members. Essentially, that exempted almost everyone at the shelter as nearly everyone had family serving, and with no way to verify this, Will had briefly considered listing everyone from Vincent as a relative.

  The government permission to resettle outside a safe zone did not, however, come with protection. They would be on their own. They had not received an answer as to whether their weapons would be returned to them. Even if they were, ammunition was nearly non-existent. It would be a monumental task to secure a compound of their own.

  Will had proposed moving to the abandoned compound at Williams Junction. The folks there had been doing fairly well, it had seemed. They’d been forcefully relocated after the firefight that had killed Corey. The place was within a day’s ride from Little Rock. Savanah was hesitant to be that far away but was willing to take a look at the farm. Will had hoped they could make the trip during this furlough, but if Stephens was correct about being called back early, it may have to wait.

  Eight

  Will

  Texarkana Refugee Center

  Texarkana, Texas

  Event + Nine Months

  Stephens led Will and Isabella to the east gate of the FEMA shelter facility and then turned to face them, an ear-to-ear grin spread across her face. She extended her arm and jiggled a set of keys in front of Will. “Who’s your best friend now?”

  “What is that?” Will said, pointing to the rusty old Chevy pickup parked along the curb just outside the double gates.

  “That is your ride to Williams Junction.”

  “I thought we were being called back early?” Isabella said, swiping the keys from Stephen’s hand.

  “Colonel Sharp has to travel to San Antonio so we have a few extra days before we have to be back in Little Rock.”

  “Seriously?” Isabella said. She spun around to face Will, placing a hand on his arm. “Does this mean we’re taking a road trip?”

  Will smiled. “I guess it does, but that truck will only hold three people.”

  “We could fit maybe eight in the bed,” Isabella said.

  “I’ll leave you guys to work out who’s going with you. Don’t forget to stop by headquarters and get passes for everyone. I don’t want to have to bail you guys out of the pokey again,” Stephens said as she turned to go. Stephens was referring to Savanah and Gabby. They had ventured outside the fence to attend an unauthorized meeting with persons deemed troublemakers. If not for Stephens, they both could have been sent to the camp in West Texas where they would have been held as domestic terrorists.

  “Thanks, Stephens. I owe you—again,” Will said.

  “Oh—and there are four rifles in the bed of the truck under the blanket. Try to be safe out there.” Stephens waved over her shoulder as she walked away. They both knew Will could never repay the debt he owed her. He wasn’t sure who Stephens owed to arrange for his sister and cousin’s release, but it must be someone very high up the chain of command. It was good to have friends in high places.

  “Let’s go tell Savanah. She’s going to freak,” Isabella said, tugging on Will’s arm.

  Reluctantly, Savanah had asked Jane to stay with the kids while she and Jason joined Will and the others on the trip to Williams Junction. Will convinced her that between Jane, Kendra, Karson, and Cayden, the little kids would be fine. For some unknown reason, Kylie was better behaved when Jane was around.

  Walker drove the pickup. Pete’s wife, Kathy, and Rob’s wife, Erin, rode in the cab with him while the others rode in the back. Some members of their group had made the decision that they would move to one of the safe zones in Houston or Dallas instead of to the wilds of Arkansas. Jane was one of them. It was understandable. She was going to be a first-time mother. She wanted all the comforts and protections the safe zone would provide for her child.

  August’s wife, Pam, sat next to Isabella. She was on the fence about moving to Williams Junction. August was in Houston working on a construction crew assigned to the multi-faceted mission of rebuilding the country’s infrastructure. He didn’t want her and the kids there with him. He said the places he worked were nowhere near safe. The toxic waste from the hurricane alone was enough for the city to have been abandoned.

  August and his wife had teenagers. The safe zones had advantages and disadvantages for teens. The lucky ones could live at home and continue their education before being assigned jobs. Others would just be assigned a blue-collar vocation rebuilding the nation—at least the Texas part of the country. The disadvantage was that they would give up some freedoms, like the freedom to choose where to live, where to work or travel, who they could associate with, and they couldn’t own firearms. They had been assured the restrictions were only temporary. After security was established and the services restored, the freedoms provided in the Constitution would be restored—or so they were told.

  Will leaned his back against the cab of the truck as Walker pulled onto Interstate 30 and headed northeast toward Little Rock. This was the first time Will had been this way in a civilian vehicle. It had been months since he’d seen a running truck that wasn’t military. No one else had fuel these days.

  As they passed by a highway sign for Hope, Arkansas, Savanah tugged on Will’s pant leg. “We should move there.”

  Will nodded. “Maybe we could rename Williams Junction.”

  “Maybe. If it’s everything you said it is,” she replied.

  “Or we could call it New Hope,” Pam said. She moved closer to Savanah. “It’s kind of exciting to be the founders of a new town.”

  “I never dreamed I’d be a pioneer woman,” Isabella said.

  It had been two months since Will had been at the compound. Anything could have happened in that amount of time, but he hoped they’d find it much as it was when he’d first seen it. The fox holes and bunkers might need some work after Will’s unit had attacked the place, but the houses, barn, and shop could all be pretty well the same.

  They passed a sign indicating a rest area ahead and Isabella tapped on the back glass to get Walker’s attention. “I need to use the restroom. Can we pull into the rest area?”

  Walker nodded and exited the interstate. Will was surprised to see so many vehicles abandoned there. He hadn’t been with the teams that had cleared the northbound leg of I-30. Walker drove past five tractor-trailers and a row of cars before stopping at the restroom facilities.

  The men watched as the ladies cautiously cleared the tiny outhouse meant to handle the large number of visitors each day on the interstate. When the ladies all went inside, Walker, Jack, Will, and Jason checked out the cargo still in
side the semi trucks.

  “There’s some useful stuff in here,” Jack yelled from inside a Walmart truck.

  “There’s nothing but junk in this one,” Jason called out. He hopped down and headed toward the next trailer. “Unless you need a printer or a sixty-inch flat-screen television.”

  “What we need is a grocery or grain hauling truck,” Will said.

  Walker pointed to a home improvement store box truck. “How about construction materials.”

  “We could definitely use those,” Will said.

  “How would we get it to Williams Junction?” Savanah asked as she approached.

  Will pursed his lips and looked skyward. It would probably be pushing it to ask Stephens to get them a bigger truck.

  “It would take a few trips and use some fuel, but we could use the Chevy,” Jason said, pointing back to the pickup.

  “I don’t think there’s enough in the tank for an extra trip,” Walker said.

  Will shrugged. “Oh well. We’ll figure something out. At least we know where to find it when we do have a way to haul it.”

  “Who is that?” Erin yelled, spinning around.

  Walker rushed to her side. “What did you see?”

  “A woman or kid. I just saw the back of them as they ran that way.” She pointed toward the trees behind the restrooms.

  “Let’s go, people,” Jack said, doing a circle in the air with his hand. “We need to get the heck out of here.”

  Will liked Jack. The forty-something-year-old man had been injured trying to save his family. Both his legs had been broken, but he’d never given up. Now, even though he walked with a substantial limp and must be in constant pain, he was always the first to volunteer to help the group. Will hadn’t known him long, but he trusted the man.

  Isabella looked around toward the back of the restroom. “Shouldn’t we check it out?” Isabella said.